The present invention provides a process for generation, graphical composition, and delivery (or routing for delivery) of conventional forms of written correspondence. Specifically, the conventional form of written correspondence (e.g., business letter) to be transmitted to a recipient is generated from a correspondence message provided by a sender via an email or text message, or via an internet interface. More specifically, a sender can initiate correspondence in a variety of formats, to multiple recipients or to group(s) of recipients, wherein there is security provided against unauthorized generation of correspondence by assumed SMTP email identities, thereby preventing xe2x80x9cforgeryxe2x80x9d of a correspondence from the sender.
The present invention is in the field of computer-generated correspondence. The evolution of this field has begun by focusing on tools that assist a computer user in composing written communications through a number of disparate interface methods. Previous disclosures for composing and producing computer assisted written communications have included word processing applications, computer Fax applications, Internet greeting card providers, Internet Fax from email (or Web Browser) services, Internet email to postal mail services that simply reproduce what they receive plus addressing, and Internet service(s) providing direct mail fulfillment services from a graphical template composed by and provided by the user. However, such services do not allow full reproduction of traditional written communication formats and media, or at best require significant intervention and/or actions by the sender (and at times by the receiver) to achieve such formats. Additionally, none of these present a unified interface for composing and delivering differing forms of written communication.
Traditional written communication formats include, for example, all forms of written communications generated including business letters on business letterhead (sizes 8xc2xdxe2x80x2xc3x9711xe2x80x2, A4, Legal, Monarch, etc.), business notes/memos, business announcements/invitations, business form letters, business postcards, business legal notifications, personal letters, personal letter on personalized stationery, personal notes/cards, personal announcements, personal postcards. These forms of communication historically use various combinations of layout, handwriting, hand printing, signatures, preprinted fonts and graphics. Earlier services fall short of reproducing these formats automatically or with ease. Word processing programs can generally be configured to produce these formats, however it is a manual and cumbersome process with many steps. Many users are not capable of the graphics manipulation required to compose these formats with letterhead and signature. Furthermore, it is left to the user to render the composition into hardcopy form, and to arrange the delivery connection. Internet greeting card providers (both e-card and hardcopy card vendors) provide only limited personalization for the cards they vend. Greeting card providers provide neither a handwriting equivalent that reflects the user""s personal cursive style, nor an essential xe2x80x9csignaturexe2x80x9d to personalize the card. One service exists for ordering hand calligraphy on cards, but this is not an automated process. Internet FAX-from-email and letter/direct-mail-from-email providers either force the user to compose the graphics of his or her message manually with a word processor, or provide xe2x80x9ccannedxe2x80x9d formats without personalization of signature, personal stationery or business logos.
Email Systems
In computer network systems such as local-area networks (xe2x80x9cLANsxe2x80x9d), wide-area networks (xe2x80x9cWANsxe2x80x9d), and the Internet and the world-wide web (xe2x80x9cWWWxe2x80x9d), electronic mail (xe2x80x9ce-mail,xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cemailxe2x80x9d) systems are often utilized to facilitate communication between two or more users of the network. Each user has a unique network address that may be used for routing and identifying purposes in delivering an e-mail message from one user (the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d) to another user (the xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d) on the network. Often an e-mail message contains a relatively small amount of text or other forms of data. One or more additional files of data, called xe2x80x9cattachmentsxe2x80x9d are often attached to the e-mail message. For example, a word processing file or graphic file that is incompatible with the display capabilities of the e-mail system or that is too large to be conveniently displayed by the e-mail application program may be transmitted from the sender to the recipient by attaching it to an e-mail message. The e-mail message may introduce or explain the attachments. Thus, the recipient receives the e-mail message plus any attached data files, wherein the attached data files must be opened, accessed, or utilized separately from the email message itself. One drawback is that this method requires the recipient have the necessary software to open and display the attachment(s). Another drawback of this technique for electronic deliveries is that the size of the email with attachments is often large, and requires relatively long upload times for the sender and download times for the recipient.
HTML formats have become the language of page compositions for web sites. Moreover, objects can be scanned into HTML formats for use in web pages. Composition and display of HTML formats has been added to most mainstream email programs. However, a large time commitment is needed to design HTML email formats with scanned inputs and graphical elements. Hence, this format has not been generally utilized for personal correspondence in email messages due to the limited amount of time typically available for doing such tasks. Several World Wide Web sites provide for the association of some rudimentary HTML graphics with email created at their sites, but none even approach the capability of generating full traditional correspondence formats, or an easier method of interface than the World Wide Web can provide. Furthermore, adapting HTML composition techniques to produce suitable quality output for hardcopy local to the user for postal, courier or express deliveries is cumbersome and rampant with potential time consuming problems.
Internet Letter Services
Netgram(trademark) and Eletter(trademark) represent services that utilize email and database methods, and have limitations and drawbacks that leave room for major improvements. Drawbacks that are shared by both, are 1) that the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d can only initiate a transaction that results in a physical postal mail item or items, 2) no graphical composition other than what the user provides, is supported, and 3) the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d does not xe2x80x9cseexe2x80x9d and approve the final article that is sent to the recipient until after the fact, or by special manual arrangement that significantly delays the sending.
While Eletter(trademark) will generate and post for delivery a letter to the recipient sent by email from the sender, it is up to the recipient to provide the fully formatted letter, along with the list of addresses, in conventional mail merge format. Eletter(trademark) will then provide the necessary printing, assembly and mailing services. While this technique is suitable for volume mailings (i.e., junk mail), it does not afford the convenience, automatic composition, selection of media and alternate delivery methods that the present invention does.
Netgram(trademark) uses a relatively crude form of composition with no flexibility to generate anything beyond a single format of written correspondence containing formatting and graphics to the extent that the user provides them in the initial e-mail request. Therefore, xe2x80x9cNetgram(trademark)xe2x80x9d is much like an Internet telegram or Western Union mailgram, and results in a message printed centrally, or remotely, that is then placed in an addressed envelope and delivered by regular postal means.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to improve upon the drawbacks of such systems as Eletter(trademark) and Netgram(trademark). For example: 1) Netgrams(trademark) cannot replicate standard forms of communication other than the xe2x80x9ctelegramxe2x80x9d format, or some similar xe2x80x9cprint-on-plain-paperxe2x80x9d format with a header above text and/or whatever graphics are supplied by the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d; 2) while a Netgram(trademark) user could theoretically supply all the graphics for replicating conventional written communication, the NetgramTm method does not permit automatic integration of the xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d address inside the email provided by the xe2x80x9csender,xe2x80x9d and hence the sender would have to supply the xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d address twice, inside the graphical email and then to the Netgram(trademark) delivery system; 3) the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d never sees the Netgram(trademark) before it is sent (in case an error was made in supplying the address, or if the formatting of the Netgram(trademark) is undesirable); 4) the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d cannot initiate a variety of correspondence items and delivery methods from the interface; 5) the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d is required to associate an identifier with each potential xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d in order to retrieve addressing information for the xe2x80x9crecipientxe2x80x9d; and 6) the Netgram(trademark) method allows a forgery to be easily made, due to the way that SMTP email protocol works on the Internet; namely, a forger can assume the identity of the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d by setting up an email program with the xe2x80x9csender""sxe2x80x9d public email identifier, and by guessing or in some other manner (such as examining mail headers on the internet or in storage folders) determining the xe2x80x9crecipient IDxe2x80x9d that the sender would use for a particular addressee, send any message under the identity of the xe2x80x9csenderxe2x80x9d to the xe2x80x9crecipient.xe2x80x9d
The present invention provides a process for generating completed mail objects from email or text messages from a registered sender to be received by recipients in hard copy and comprising graphical correspondence content (e.g., business letterhead, personal letterhead, card graphics, photo postcard graphics, etc.) and graphical representation of a signature, comprising:
(a) receiving a correspondence message from the registered sender containing text, recipient names or sender-specified recipient identifiers, and identity of the registered sender;
(b) locating registered sender information in a database or a plurality of databases, wherein the database or the plurality of databases comprises preferences having correspondence format information and a graphical representation of a registered sender signature;
(c) obtaining, using either the recipient names or the sender-specified recipient identifiers, recipient location information from either the database or the plurality of databases, or directly from the registered sender, wherein the database or the plurality of databases comprises names and addresses of recipients for each registered sender; and
(d) generating a completed correspondence to deliver to the recipient by one or more transmission means selected from the group consisting of transmitting a facsimile to a facsimile telephone number utilized by the recipient, transmitting an email providing or linking to a graphical representation of the correspondence to an Internet address utilized by the recipient, generating a hard copy of the completed correspondence for submission by hard copy delivery services, and combinations thereof, wherein the completed correspondence comprises the registered sender""s letter head or card graphics (such as greeting card graphics, thank you notes, etc.), registered sender""s signature and correspondence message.
Preferably, receiving a correspondence message from the registered sender occurs via a website interface, instead of via an email. Preferably, the correspondence message further comprises additional information, including but not limited to attachments (e.g., graphical images or documents) and preferences. Most preferably, new or amended preferences are specified in a subject line of an email message. Preferably, the hard copy completed correspondence is generated at a location facilitating rapid delivery to the recipient using existing delivery services. Preferably, the completed hard copy correspondence is created at a location adjacent to an overnight courier hub or at a location adjacent to a major regional postal service hub. Preferably, the completed hard copy correspondence is sent by facsimile transmission to the recipient""s fax telephone number. Preferably, the database or the plurality of databases comprises names, postal addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers for recipients. Preferably, the database or the plurality of databases enables each registered sender to have multiple formats for documents, and to optionally customize each document format by selecting from a variety of signatures, content and identification information held for the sender. Preferably, obtaining recipient location information from either the database or the plurality of databases, or directly from the registered sender, wherein the database or the plurality of databases comprises names and addresses of recipients for each registered, is achieved using the names of the recipients. Preferably, transmitting an email, providing or linking to a graphical representation of the correspondence, to an Internet address utilized by the recipient involves the use of either HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats, or text formats with a URL link to either HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats.
Preferably, prior to step (d), there is a further step comprising generating a proof copy of the correspondence to be sent by email to the sender for review and approval. This step helps to implement a security measure to the inventive process. Most preferably, the sender approves the proof copy of the correspondence by return email or by HTTP transmission. Most preferably, the sender is able to change the correspondence or the preferences associated with the correspondence. Most preferably, the preferences that can be changed are selected from the group consisting of correspondence type, letterhead or card graphics style, recipient delivery means, greeting, closing, signature, text of correspondence, and combinations thereof. Preferably, generating a proof copy of the correspondence to be sent by email to the sender for review and approval, involves the use of either HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats, or text formats with a URL link to either HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats. Preferably, the inventive process further comprises a security mechanism directed to precluding either creation, or transmission of a forged correspondence to a recipient. Preferably, the security mechanism directed to precluding either creation, or transmission of a forged correspondence to a recipient is selected from the group consisting of password-controlled access to a POP server, public key/private key encryption, digital signatures, firewalls, SQL or VPN interfaces, database architecture and combinations thereof Preferably, the inventive process further comprises a security mechanism directed to precluding theft of sender information. Preferably, the security mechanism directed to precluding theft of sender information is selected from the group consisting of public key/private key encryption, digital signatures, firewalls, SQL or VPN interfaces, database architecture and combinations thereof.
The present invention further provides a system or apparatus for generating completed mail objects from email or text messages from registered senders to be received by recipients in remote locations in hard copy, Fax transmission or HTML email (dual mode contains a text URL pointer to an on-line HTML image as well as the full HTML) and comprising message information, graphical letterhead or card content, and graphical representation of a signature, comprising:
(a) a computer or server means for receiving a correspondence message from the registered sender containing text and other information to be included in a correspondence;
(b) a database or plurality of databases having registered sender information and preferences, wherein the database or the plurality of databases comprises a sender""s preferences for correspondence format information, recipient information and addresses and a graphical representation of a registered sender signature;
(c) recipient location information, wherein the source of the recipient location information is from either the database or the plurality of databases, or from the registered sender, wherein the database or the plurality of databases comprises names and addresses of recipients for each registered sender; and
(d) a remote or local facility for generating a completed hard copy correspondence at a location facilitating rapid delivery to the recipient using existing delivery services, wherein the completed correspondence comprises the registered sender""s letter head, registered sender""s signature and correspondence message, or a Fax server for generating a fax correspondence telephoned to the recipient""s fax, or an Email server for sending the correspondence in HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats, or in text formats with a URL link to either HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats.
Preferably, the correspondence message further comprises additional information, including but not limited to attachments (e.g., graphical images or documents) and preferences. Most preferably, new or amended preferences are specified in a subject line of an email message. Preferably, the completed hard copy correspondence is created at a location adjacent to an overnight courier hub or regional postal service hub. Preferably, the completed hard copy correspondence is sent by facsimile transmission to the recipient""s fax machine. Preferably, an electronic image of the completed correspondence is delivered as email (e.g., HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats, or in text form with a URL link to either HTML or HTML with bit-mapped formats) by a conventional Internet email server to the sender, and optionally to the recipient. Preferably, the database or the plurality of databases comprises names, postal addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers for recipients. Preferably, the database or the plurality of databases enables each registered sender to have multiple formats for documents, and to optionally customize each document format by selecting from a variety of signatures, content and identification information held for the sender.